Mauricio Pochettino will soon be handed the keys to a cluttered changing room in dire need of a makeover, and though Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen himself may well baulk at the transformation required, there is at least a whole summer to get this right.
A minimalist approach and good clear-out would do for starters, with Pochettino surely eager to reduce the numbers of this bloated Chelsea squad once he becomes their new head coach, as is anticipated this week.
Defender Thiago Silva had admitted in April that Chelsea’s changing room was too small for the size of their squad, and this “issue” was plain for all to see as Graham Potter came and went during a season where more than £600m was spent.
A bottom-half finish is now almost certainly on the cards, but the disarray has not put off Pochettino, with the Argentine set to take on his first role since leaving Paris Saint-Germain last year.
The task ahead may seem daunting, but it is difficult to envision Chelsea nosediving further under his watch. Eleventh in the Premier League would be their joint-lowest finish since 1994-95, and while a run of 26 consecutive top-10 finishes is expected to end, the fact Chelsea are at their lowest ebb for decades could arguably play into their new coach’s hands. In short, it cannot get much worse.
A season without Europe may detract some players from joining this summer, but it is worth whispering that Antonio Conte led Chelsea to the title in 2016-17, the last time they went a campaign without European football.
The squad, too, may be overloaded and buckling under the weight, but few would deny that already within Cobham there is a team capable of challenging at least for the top four – once the necessary departures are handled.
Selling players may not be straightforward, though, especially if rival teams look to capitalise on Chelsea’s situation by offering below asking price, but at least a handful are likely to leave Stamford Bridge this summer.
Mason Mount’s future remains unclear and is said to be a Liverpool target, while the attacking midfielder is not alone in having a year left on his contract. Mateo Kovacic, Christian Pulisic, Ruben Loftus-Cheek, Cesar Azpilicueta and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang also have one year remaining, meaning Chelsea could look to cash-in on players who would otherwise leave for free in 12 months’ time.
Pochettino is reportedly eager to keep Mount, likewise N’Golo Kante – whose contract expires this summer – but Kovacic, Pulisic and Aubameyang could be among the names to leave.
And even if no new arrivals join beyond Christopher Nkunku, the versatile Frenchman who reportedly has a pre-contract agreement in place, Pochettino has a promising blend of youth and experience to work with.
In some regards the project is not unlike the Spurs one he took on nine years ago. The demands will be greater, but this squad are arguably some way off their peak, as was the case when Pochettino slowly turned Spurs into title contenders and Champions League regulars.
At Chelsea, academy products Mount (24), Reece James (23), Trevoh Chalobah (23) and Conor Gallagher (23) are part of a rich group of players under 25, one that also includes record-signing Enzo Fernandez (22), Wesley Fofana (22), Benoit Badiashile (22), Noni Madueke (21) and Mykhaylo Mudryk (22).
All are names that Pochettino would be expected to keep at Stamford Bridge, and though perhaps Fernandez and James are the only sure-fire starters from this crop, the potential is certainly there, with Mudryk in particular perhaps hoping a new direction brings with it greater opportunities.
A likely 4-2-3-1 formation would benefit from Fernandez and potentially Kante as the anchors in midfield, while ahead of them would be four positions seemingly up for grabs. Nkunku is capable of playing out wide, as an attacking midfielder, or as a centre forward, so his role could depend entirely on Chelsea’s search for a new striker this summer.
Potential XIs and 16 Chelsea players with uncertain futures
Potential XI with new transfers
4-2-3-1: Martinez; James, Fofana, Gvardiol, Chilwell; Fernandez, Rice; Madueke, Nkunku, Mudryk; Osimhen
Potential XI with current squad (and Nkunku)
4-2-3-1: Kepa; James, Fofana, Badiashile, Chilwell; Fernandez, Kante; Madueke, Mount, Mudryk, Nkunku
Potential losers
Beyond the possible departures of Kovacic, Pulisic and Aubameyang, names that remain may still face a big fight to feature under Pochettino. The former Spurs boss could lean on the experience of Raheem Sterling, but a start is no guarantee for the England forward, likewise for Marc Cucurella and Cesar Azpilicueta if James and Chilwell stay fit.
Thiago Silva remains an ideal changing-room figure but may be displaced regularly by Badiashile, which would arguably keep Kalidou Koulibaly out of the team too, while players including Kai Havertz, Hakim Ziyech and Loftus-Cheek may also be overlooked.
That is already 11 names, and you can make that 13 if a goalkeeper comes in to take the No 1 spot ahead of Kepa and Mendy.
The 14th: Lukaku, whose return could be short-lived, while the fact Callum Hudson-Odoi and Tiemoue Bakayoko are out on loan arguably ups that list to 16.
We’ll stop there, just shy of questioning whether Gallagher, Carney Chukwuemeka and Armando Broja realistically have a future at Chelsea.
Assuming Romelu Lukaku does not return – his Inter loan ends this summer and contract runs at Chelsea until 2026 – there is a hole the Blues are seemingly attempting to fill, with Inter’s Lautaro Martinez, AC Milan’s Rafael Leao and Napoli’s Victor Osimhen all reported targets.
With just 36 Premier League goals this term, a tally Erling Haaland matched on Sunday, Chelsea are in desperate need of a goalscorer, with Sterling and Kai Havertz co-leading the way on nine in all competitions – six ahead of a cluster of team-mates.
Pochettino may well desire a new goalkeeper too, a change that would signal the end of Kepa Arrizabalaga’s battle for the gloves with Edouard Mendy – Aston Villa’s Emiliano Martinez has been linked with a move to Chelsea – and perhaps a new centre-back in the form of the coveted Croatian, Josko Gvardiol.
Otherwise, it may be a case of using what is already at his disposal. That is assuming the pricetag placed on West Ham’s Declan Rice makes the midfielder out of reach, although amid reports of a bidding war for the England international this summer, the prospect of pairing him with Fernandez – and allowing an aging and injury-prone Kante to move on – may well prove too tempting to Todd Boehly and other board members.
Either way, at the end of a season they would have liked to fast forward, there are reasons for Chelsea fans to be optimistic. The gloom could, or perhaps should, soon be over.
from Football - inews.co.uk https://ift.tt/KHn8jFD
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